Decode II: Deceit from Ashes
by Jadells
Summary: Just as his life is settling into something resembling normality, Ranma's past comes back for him, once again changing his life forever. Takes place fifteen years after the end of Decode.
1. Prologue

**Decode II**

_**Deciet from Ashes**_

**By: Jade Gillott**

**P****rologue**

He stared at the scroll for so long that when he went to sip his tea, he found it was practically ice cold. Snorting, he shoved the drink away from him and looked back at the scroll his father had given him. Said to hold a secret technique. Instead, there was no technique. Unless this was a test of some kind? There were none of the usual diagrams, instructions, lists, or anything else one might find on a scroll bearing an ancient fighting move. So, this had to be some sort of exercise all it's own. His father was testing him. Giving him this scroll which supposedly held a secret technique, and yet he saw nothing of the sort.

Perhaps this was a scroll that was hexxed in some way, made to look like a phony, confusing anyone but the owner of the scroll about the secrets that lay inside. Only the one who created the hex would know how to read the technique, and therefore keep the secret forever! How terribly clever! Surely he could find some sort of loophole; and he wouldn't rest until he found it. Nothing was keeping him from learning this technique!

He sat there for another ten minutes, holding the scroll so close to his face it nearly touched his nose. To his great dismay, no sudden euphoria came forth. He was as stumped as he'd been when he'd first opened the scroll. He simply had no idea how this could be a secret technique, or how to decipher the message that lay within. He suddenly growled in frustration, slapping the scroll back on the table and grabbing large tufts of his hair in his fingers, cursing loudly. How could this be a secret technique!

"It doesn't make sense!" he yelled, practically ripping his hair out in his frustration. He was silent for a long time, slowly lowering his hands. He took a deep breath, blowing it out in an irritated puff. He looked down at the open scroll, glaring at it as if it would make the secret technique instructions appear out of thin air.

His father wouldn't be doing this if it didn't mean something. He wasn't one to play tricks or anything like that; he was very serious about martial arts, and if he said he was going to teach him a special move, he meant it. This had to be a test. It had to be.

When he thought very hard about it, the words on the page before him seemed familiar. Something, perhaps, he'd heard mentioned before. Whispered under breath as he happened to walk by. Looks of fear, yet respect. Hatred, yet admiration. Yes, he had heard this before. Whatever this move was, it was greatly feared. Yet so admirably powerful you would be a fool not to respect it. He simply _had_ to learn it.

"It doesn't even sound like a secret technique, or any sort of name that would be given to it." he said aloud, his face set into a look of deep concentration as he looked over each letter. He sounded it out, slowly. He frowned, and repeated himself. He looked around the room to see if anything had happened; maybe the teapot had grown wings? Maybe the broomstick in the corner could move on its own?

Nope. Nothing had changed.

"Guess it ain't a magic spell, then. It sounds so strange, though." he grumbled, glowering at the letters. "Maybe I say it backwards?"

He tried, and it sounded even stranger. He darted his head around the room yet again, thinking for sure that it had done _some_thing. His shoulders slumped at the same old, non-magical room around him. He cursed under his breath, and looked back at the scroll. What could it possibly be? He sat for a few minutes, grumbling, occasionally muttering the words out loud like a mantra, sounding out the letters again and again.

Perhaps, it was a name? A name of a person?

He spoke it out loud again. Yes, it certainly sounded like a name. His father's voice suddenly entered his mind, as if giving him the last peice of the puzzle.

_You never asked for his name. You asked me to tell you who he was._

"That's it!" he shouted, shooting up from his chair, slamming both palms on the table. "This is his name!"

He grinned at the words on the paper, and suddenly his heart gave a great leap of excitement and determination.

**_RANMA SAOTOME_**


	2. Chapter One: Mousse's Secret

**C****hapter One**

Mousse's Secret

He found him at the river by a small waterfall. He was in the middle of a complex kata exercise, his sharp yet graceful movements splashing the water around his feet in a dance of sparkling crystals in the orange light of the lowering sun. A red pole was clutched in his hand, slashing through the air, following his movements like an extended limb, jabbing at the occasional invisible enemy. He was certainly entertaining to watch.

That didn't change the fact he was late for supper.

"Du Ai!"

The boy splashing in the water yelped as he went falling backward into the shallow riverbed, instantly soaking himself. He sputtered, cursing loudly. He jerked his head around, looking for the one who had dared to interrupt his exercise and mess him up. He spotted his culprit, and he frowned, snatching his pole from the water and jumping to his feet, sending water flying.

"Look what you made me do, Dad!" the boy, called Du Ai, shouted.

The boy's father laughed. "Try not to get any of that on me, son." he told him as Du Ai stepped out of the river. "I really don't want to have to change back before dinner."

Du Ai slipped on his black shoes, the only thing on him that wasn't soaked. His long black hair, tied back in it's usual low ponytail, was damp, his dripping bangs getting into his eyes, which were a pale mahogany that almost looked pink. It was the least favourite part on his body, since pink eyes were certainly the most unmanliest thing he could think of.

"You can get dry once we get home. Your mother has supper waiting." with that Du Ai's father turned and headed back into the trees and back onto the path towards their village. Du Ai followed close behind, moving awkardly in his soaked clothes. Silk was very uncomfortable when it was wet, he thought with a grimace as he pulled at the wet shirt sticking to his skin. Although, he supposed it was a better fate than what his father had to deal with when he got wet.

You wouldn't expect it from looking at him, but his father, who was the Master of Hidden Weapons in their village, had a curse to turn into a duck when he touched cold water. This was because of a cursed spring called Jusenkyo, which was here in China. His father and mother told him to never go there, unless he wanted to end up like them. He'd gone there once when he was a kid, just to see what it was like. He wasn't counting on his parents to find him, however, and when they did, they grounded him for a whole week. Needless to say, he'd never ventured back to the cursed training grounds again.

Father and son arrived back in the village, and were soon at their house, which was a small hut with light smoke billowing from the small chimney on the roof. When the two entered, the house smelled like delcious soup. A woman stood by the small fireplace, where the smell was coming from. She turned when the two entered. Her eyes bulged.

"Du Ai slipped in the river, and made himself a little wet." his father explained. "Nothing some dry clothes won't fix, Shan Pu."

Shan Pu walked up to Du Ai, untying his shirt frogs in exasperation. Du Ai backed out of his mother's hold, giving her a look.

"I can do it myself, Mom." he muttered, untying the rest of the frogs.

"Take your wet clothes outside to dry, then go wash up for supper." said Shan Pu, turning away to go back to the pot on the fire.

Du Ai walked out of the small kitchen and into his bedroom, which was also very small. He certainly wasn't one to complain, however, since most of the houses in the village just had one room for everyone to share. He was lucky to have privacy, and glad he had it, too. He liked his alone time. He placed his staff against a wall and began to remove all of his soaked clothes. He threw them in a damp hump on the floor as he grabbed new, dry clothes. He quickly dressed then brought his wet clothes outside, hanging them on the small line hung from the house to a small tree to dry. He walked back inside, and seated himself at the round table, where dinner was being served. He sat down infront of a bowl of stew that made his mouth water instantly.

He dug in quickly, ignoring the fact it was still scalding hot. He'd worked up quite an appetite after a whole day of training. He inhaled the stew, and was quickly heading over to the pot for seconds. He sat back down at the table with his second bowl, bringing the spoon to his mouth when he caught sight of his father's face. He was smiling, chuckling under his breath while he shook his head.

"What's so funny?" Du Ai asked.

"You're just like him." Mu Tzu said with a light laugh.

Du Ai frowned, putting his spoon down on the table. "Who is _him_?" he asked, for what felt like the millionth time. For all he knew, he probably had asked this questions a million times. His father had been saying since he was a kid those same four words, and he'd never once given him a straight answer on who 'him' was.

When Du Ai was about five, and he finally asked his father who 'him' was, Mu Tzu told him it was his great-grandfather. Then, when Mu Tzu said it again, Du Ai asked to know more about his great-grandfather.

"What are you talking about?" Mu Tzu had said, looking puzzled. "I've never even met your great-grandfather, how would I know if you resemble him?"

"Then, who is 'him'?" Du Ai had asked irritably.

"Oh, that's easy. Your great uncle. You've never met him."

Each time, 'him' was a different man. Du Ai had quickly figured out that his father was never going to give him a straight answer on who him was, although Du Ai didn't know why he'd do such a thing. His father wasn't one to play tricks; this was the only sort of trick he had ever played on him. Why couldn't he just tell him who this mystery man was, and why he seemed to be so much like him?

"Well, you finally gonna tell me who he is, or what?" Du Ai snapped, staring his father down.

Mu Tzu looked at his son over the rim of his teacup. "Alright, I'll tell you." he said. "He's your third-cousin."

"You're lying!" Du Ai yelled. "Why can't you just tell me who this guy is?"

"Du Ai," Shan Pu said firmly. "don't raise your voice to your father. Quiet down and eat your supper."

Du Ai grumbled, picking at his stew with less enthuse than before. As he stared at his supper glumly, he missed the scolding look Shan Pu sent to Mu Tzu, her red eyes sharp. Mu Tzu, looking meek, shrugged and went back to his meal.

"You didn't hoe the fields like I asked, Du Ai." Shan Pu said suddenly. "The back garden was still hard dirt when I went back there earlier. I wanted to start planting the crop today."

"I was training." Du Ai muttered.

"You shouldn't let your training get in the way of your chores." his mother replied.

"I'm a martial artist, not a farmer." Du Ai quipped.

"I don't care what you are. I asked you to do your chores and you didn't do them. Instead you were out playing in rivers. You are fifteen, Du Ai. It is time to stop acting like a child." Shan Pu said, raising her voice.

"I wasn't_ playing _in the river." Du Ai said angrily. "It was_ training_."

"Tomorrow you will hoe the feilds, then you're going to plant the crops and water them everyday, twice a day." Shan Pu ordered. "Do I make myself clear?"

"I have to hoe the whole feild_ and _plant them, _and_ water them? That'll take hours!" Du Ai complained. "I, uhh...I already made plans!"

"Well, today I planned to plant those crops, but because you didn't prepare the feilds, I couldn't do so. So my plans were ruined, so I think it's only fair to run yours." Shan Pu said calmly.

"_Daaad_," Du Ai groaned, looking at his father with desperation.

Mu Tzu looked at Shan Pu, then back at Du Ai. He sighed.

"You heard your mother." he muttered.

Du Ai frowned, sending a dark look at his mother before rising to his feet and storming out of the room. They heard a door shut loudly seconds later, and Mu Tzu sighed deeply. Shan Pu stared into her bowl, a deep frown on her face.

"You know how much the Art means to him." Mu Tzu muttered.

Shan Pu stayed silent.

"It's just as much his passion as it is to-"

"_Don't_ say his name." Shan Pu snapped.

Mu Tzu stared at his wife, his lips in a tight line. In fifteen years, Shan Pu was a shadow of her old self. Her bright violet hair had faded over time to a less shiny mauve. Her eyes were still the same vibrant red, but they held a tiredness that had never gone away. She wore her hair in a large bun, the two strands of hair infront of her ears were tied back into the bun, creating two loops on either side of her head. Mu Tzu stood up, placing a hand on Shan Pu's shoulder for a moment before walking out of the room.

* * *

><p>Mu Tzu slowly opened the door leading to his son's bedroom. It was certainly a martial artist's bedroom. Meaning, there was hardly any time spent in this room aside for sleeping, so any personality was scarce. There was his red staff leaning on the left wall, a shelf with books he'd gotten from his great-great grandmother on famous martial artists, Amazon history, pressure points, anything a martial artist would find interest in. There were some newer looking tomes Du Ai had purchased himself the few times he'd travelled into civilization.<p>

Mu Tzu stood admiring the large wall scrolls Du Ai had put up; one was dragon grasping an egg in its large claw and breathing smoke and fire. Another was two pictures of a man, back and front, showing all the pressure points on the anatomy. Du Ai was particulary fond of manipulating pressure points, and with that staff of his, it was one of his best moves. Du Ai lay on his old futon on the floor, his back facing Mu Tzu. Faking sleep, most likely.

"I know you're awake, kiddo." Mu Tzu said quietly. "If you were actually sleeping, you'd be snoring and your stomach would be exposed."

Du Ai paused, then turned around and sat up, a deep glower still on his face. Mu Tzu sat down on the futon with him, still looking at the wall scrolls. They were quiet for a long time.

"Why does she have to be like that?" Du Ai mumbled suddenly.

"She just wants to make sure that you don't revolve your entire life around martial arts. That can't be your only passion in life. If that's all you know how to do, you'll soon find you won't feel very fufilled in your life. A good friend of mine learned that lesson, many years ago. Now he has a happy life; he found a way to balance his happiness, to have his martial arts and still live a fufilling life." Mu Tzu said with a smile.

"Who is he, your friend?" Du Ai asked curiously, leaning forward in interest.

"Ah, just an old friend of mine. That was many years ago; I was about your age." Mu Tzu waved his hand, dropping the topic. "Anyways, I know doing chores doesn't sound fun, but not everything in life can be fun. It's not all about training, son. Sometimes you've got to do the boring things. That's just how life is."

Du Ai scoffed. "I'm going to show her. One day I'm going to pack up everything I have and travel all of Asia! I want to go everywhere I can, see everything I can, learn everything I can. I'm going to be the greatest martial artist in all of the world, and there's nothin' she can do that's going to stop me. I'd rather dry up and die than live my whole life in this village, going nowhere, learning nothing but the things Granny Ku Lohn will teach me, working in the feilds growin' crops like a farmer."

Mu Tzu laughed heartily. "I wouldn't expect you to! No, you're too much like him to stay cooped up in this village." a strange smile crept along his father's lips and his sea-green eyes seemed to glimmer with nostalgia. "No...some birds you can't keep caged. Their wings are just too big."

Du Ai smirked. "You did it again. You mentioned 'him' again." he muttered. "For as long as I can remember you've been sayin' that to me. Are you ever going to tell me who this guy is? Who is he? What's he like?"

Mu Tzu smiled. "You should know the answer to that one, son." he said. "I've told you. He's exactly like you."

"So, who_ is _he?" Du Ai asked excitedly.

"You really want to know...?" Mu Tzu said, nearly in a whisper.

The exuberance faded from Du Ai's face, replaced by a look of wonderment at his father's expression.

"Yes, I want to know." he said firmly.

"...He's your nephew, three times removed." Mu Tzu replied.

Du Ai fell flat on face. He growled, jumping back up instantly and tackling his father to the ground.

"_Cut that out_!" Du Ai yelled. "I'm an _only child_, I can't be a freakin' _uncle_! Would ya just stop jerkin' me around and tell me who the hell this guy is?"

Mu Tzu laughed nervously, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay! Let me go, you hothead." he chuckled.

Du Ai let go of his father's collar, getting off his torso so Mu Tzu could sit up. Mu Tzu was smiling goofily, rubbing his back tenderly.

"All right, you're right, Du Ai. I've been beating around the bush for years, and to be honest I'm tired myself of playing this game with you. I'll tell you who he is..."

"Awright! You're really gonna tell me this time, no foolin'?" Du Ai exclaimed, practically bouncing in glee.

Mu Tzu held up his finger. "On one condition." he muttered.

Du Ai slumped. "...I gotta do what Mom said, right?" he grumbled.

Mu Tzu smirked. "_That_, and also, the annual tournament is coming up..." he said. "Win the tournament, and I'll tell you all about him."

Du Ai blinked. "Really? That's it?" he said. He smirked, and slapped his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Peice o' cake! I've been winnin' that tournament for the last five years!"

"Then this should be no trouble for you at all." Mu Tzu said, smiling. He gave Du Ai's knee a small pat, then stood up and headed for the door.

"Get some sleep, son. You should wake up bright and early tomorrow to get an early start on that feild." Mu Tzu told him, opening the door.

"Yeah, I know." Du Ai said, already pulling off his pants and shirt, stripping down to his tank top and boxers. He got himself beneath the covers, then looked up at Mu Tzu, just as he was about to close the door behind him.

"Dad?" Du Ai called.

Mu Tzu peeked through the crack in the door. "Hmm?"

"Thanks." Du Ai smiled sincerely, his eyes warm.

_Has his mother ever seen him look at her with such warmth in the eyes she gave him?_Mu Tzu suddenly wondered._ No, I don't think she has. _

Ever since he was born, Du Ai had a negative energy around his mother. When she was around him, he wasn't the same person. Instead of the bright, optimistic, energetic boy he was with everyone else, when Shan Pu was near Du Ai rarely smiled; his demeanor would turn cold, he angered easily, he avoided all physical contact with her if he could. Most of all, he hated the fact he had her eyes. Once, when he was merely four years old, Du Ai had come up to Mu Tzu and bluntly said he wished he'd been born with his father's sea-green eyes, and that he couldn't stand the colour of his own eyes.

_He certainly is just like him._ Mu Tzu thought sadly.

"You're welcome, son." he said softly. "Good night."

"Night, Dad."

Mu Tzu closed the door, hiding his expression from Du Ai before he could see the pain in his face. Sighing heavily, Mu Tzu walked out of the small hut and watched as dusk fell on the village. The tournament was steadily approaching, and Mu Tzu had no doubt that Du Ai would win again this year. Once one is ten, they qualify to enter the tournament. Du Ai had been very excited when he'd turned ten, and was able to enter the tournament. It wasn't uncommon to see a ten year old lose the tournament. They were just children, going up against the adults of the village, who were bigger and had more experience. Most times, the children didn't stand a chance. So imagine the village's surprise when Du Ai had won the entire thing, then proceeded to eat half the table of all the food he won.

"It's because he's the God-Slayer's son." Mu Tzu had heard people whisper.

"Yes, only a child with the blood of a man who slew a god twice, and lived to tell of it, has a hope of winning the tournament."

"When he gets older, he'll be the best in the village."

On and on the rumors went. The son of the God Slayer did not disappoint, either. For the next four years after that, Du Ai won each tournament. The other boys in the village would come to him, challenging him to duels. He won each one, and soon Du Ai was like a celebrity to all of the children in the village. They looked up to him, respected him, feared him. When boys were rude to the young girls, Du Ai would teach them a lesson in 'manners'. When someone bullied someone smaller or weaker than them, Du Ai protected them. He was like their leader.

"Yes, he'll win." Mu Tzu said. "He'll certainly win."

It had been fifteen years.

It was time that he knew. When he won the tournament, he would tell him everything.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Du Ai was up with the sun. Preparing for his day out in the feild, he donned sandals, pants he'd torn to the knee to make into shorts, and a white tank top; a hand me down from his father, so it fit him like a potato sack. First, he went out front, feeling the chill of the early morning air. He started a kata to get his blood pumping and warm up his body. When that was done, he flopped down and started doing push-ups. When he felt limbered up and toasty, he went to the side of the house and grabbed the large, old hoe. It was very large, and because it was so ancient it was incredibly heavy. Most wouldn't be able to even pick it up, let alone swing it around. Luckily Du Ai had been training and doing farmwork his entire life, and lifting the hoe was no trouble. Going to the back of the hut, he took in his work space.<p>

Behind their house was a large dirt feild. The dirt was hard and dry, and there were weeds. Before any planting could be done in this feild, it needed the soil tilled, the weeds removed, and the soil had to be covered in fertilizer. Du Ai sighed. This was going to take forever. He set off to work, hoping he'd have a little time to himself today to go train. After all this was done, he could go to a hot spring. Maybe go see Granny, see if she had any more books for him. He tried to keep the happy thoughts coming as he swung the hoe over and over into the ground, breaking it into soft dirt. He stopped to wipe at the sweat already starting to form on his brow.

Just then, his senses went off like sirens in his head, and as if his body was moving on his own, he tossed his hoe to the side and ducked down, narrowly missing a flash of silver that darted over his head. Standing straight, Du Ai watched a tree in the distance get impaled by a fork. He turned around, and saw his father leaning against the wall of the house, smirking.

"Looks like your reflexes are top notch." he said casually.

Du Ai stared at Mu Tzu, blinking in confusion.

"Everything is training," Mu Tzu said, holding up his hand, which had forks wedged into each of his fingers. "Care to make this a session?"

Du Ai was all ears. "What do I have to do?"

"Hoe the feilds, while avoiding the projectiles thrown. Think you can do it with that heavy tool in your hands?" Mu Tzu jeered.

Du Ai scoffed, picking up the hoe. "Don't underestimate me, old man. Bring it on."

Mousse tossed the forks, which Du Ai easily dodged, jumping backwards and whacking at the ground as he went. Mousse tossed another round of forks, this time with both hands. Du Ai had no trouble dodging the forks, and managing to till the soil under his feet as he moved. Mu Tzu quickly increased his arsenal, throwing maces, chains, daggers. The projectiles kept getting bigger and deadlier, and it became more challenging. He was knicked a few times by daggers, narrowly missed getting his head caved in by maces. After about an hour, the entire feild was completely turned up. Du Ai lay on the ground, heaving and sweating.

Mu Tzu stood over him, panting. He offered his hand and helped Du Ai stand.

"Nicely done. Alright, that's enough for today. I'll help you plant the seeds and water."

They did so, chatting lightly as they went about their work. With extra hands helping him, Du Ai was done in chores in much less time than he thought he would be. There was still plenty of daylight left. The two stood before the feild, the soil a rich brown, all the seeds planted in neat rows. Father and son looked at each other at the same time, Du Ai's eyes holding a question. Mu Tzu smiled, and nodded.

"The day is yours, son. I'll tell your mother you did everything, and got no help from me whatsoever." Mu Tzu said amusedly.

Du Ai grinned. "Thanks, Dad." he said excitedly, and then he was off like a shot. Mu Tzu watched him go, smiling.

Ku Lohn was making herself breakfast when she heard the loud, quick footsteps, and a voice that could only belong to her great-great grandson.

"Mornin', granny!" he greeted happily as he invited himself into her small, one room hut.

"_Who's_ a granny?" she asked curtly, whipping her walking stick at him. He caught the stick with one hand, sniggering. He walked over and gave her back the stick, from where she stood on the counter, watching her fish grill. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure, I'm starvin'." Du Ai agreed, staring at the fish with an expression that practically bordered on lust.

"You have a knack for showing up here when I have food. It's like you can sense it." Ku Lohn said, rolling her large eyes. "You're certainly up early, child."

Du Ai rolled his shoulders around, working out the soreness in his muscles. "Mom made me work the feilds today. Dad made it a training session by throwing projectiles at me while I tried to till the soil. It made it way faster and more fun to do. That's what Dad does though, he looks out fer me." Du Ai gave a cheeky smile, putting his hands behind his head.

"Working in the feild, eh? No wonder you're covered in dirt. You're filthy, child." Ku Lohn told him, scooping rice into two bowls.

Du Ai either ignored her or simply didn't care. "So, ya got any books fer me, granny?" he asked. They sat down at a small kotatsu in the middle of the room, with a plate of fish, a bowl of rice, and a cup of tea for each of them.

"Actually, yes. I do." said Ku Lohn, getting up to go retrieve the books. She came back with just two, placing them in front of Du Ai. He read the titles with curiousity.

"_Musashi_, and _The Book of Five Rings_." he muttered.

"Ever heard of Miyamoto Musashi? He wrote _Book of Five Rings _in the 1600s, and then _Musashi_ was a book written about him. You'll like them, they're all about fighting, battle strategy, that sort of thing." Ku Lohn said, sipping her tea.

"Cool. Thanks, gran." he said. Then he dug into his food.

"The tournament is drawing close, child. I assume you're entering again this year?" Ku Lohn asked.

"You bet! I gotta keep my winnin' streak up. This time though I got another reason fer winnin' this tournament." Du Ai said, smirking with a mouthful of fish and rice.

"Did a pretty girl say she'd go on a date with you if you won first place?" Ku Lohn teased.

Du Ai laughed, washing his food down with tea. "Nah, even better than that." he said. "Y'know how Dad is always sayin' I'm just like 'him', but he's never told me who 'him' is, or even his name? Well, he told me that if I win the tournament this year, which I will, then he'll finally tell me who 'him' is."

Ku Lohn stared at Du Ai for a moment, then went back to her fish. "Is that right." she muttered.

"Yup. Finally I get to here who this guy is. Apparently he's just like me, or so Pops keeps on sayin'. Man, I can't wait to hear about him. I wonder what kinda guy he is, where he is, how does Dad know him...I just have a million questions."

"Well, I'm confident that you shall win the tournament, as you have for past five years. When you do, you will get all the answers. I only hope you will accept them." Ku Lohn said.

Du Ai didn't reply, since he didn't really know how. His gran was a couple thousand years old, and had a knack for speaking in philosophical riddles at times. He simply nodded in reply and went back to his food.

For the rest of breakfast, Ku Lohn told Du Ai about the two books she'd given him, and he listened with deep interest as she talked about the famous samurai. Later, Du Ai left with the books and a bag of baked sweet potatoes she'd been saving for him. Ku Lohn watched her great-great grandson as he walked away, soon hidden in the crowds. Ku Lohn stayed there for a while, standing outside her hut balanced on her stick, staring at the sky.

"Mu Tzu," she whispered. "I hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

><p><strong><span>A<span>uthor's Notes:**

Here we are again, folks. Chapter One of _Decode II: Deceit from Ashes. _Hoo, boy. Why do I have a feeling this is going to take me another two years? Sigh...well anyhow, I'd like to use this AN to explain a little bit about the story thus far.

Well, in this chapter we are introduced to Du Ai, whom if you read the first book (which you should have if you have a hope of understanding this one) was mentioned on the very last chapter, and now will pretty much be the main character of this story.

If you haven't guessed already, Du Ai's Japanese bastardization is "Dye". Yeah, folks, as in hair dye. Of course since he's Shampoo's kid I had to give him an Amazon "beauty product" name, and since Shampoo and Mousse are both related to hair, I made his name hair-related, too. However, the meaning behind the name digs a little deeper.

What does hair dye do? It changes your hair into a different colour. Hair dye covers up the truth of one's natural, true colour. In the most basic sense, a_ lie_. The perfect name, I think, for Dye as a character, considering the circumstances. Obviously from looking at the title alone of this story, you can clearly tell this is going to be all about false truths, covered up lies, and utter deceit.

That may sound all ominous and depressing, but I'm actually going to try and make this story a little more upbeat than the first, which as you know had war, beheading, murder, practically a genocide, and rape. Pretty freaking dark if you ask me. So, this story will try and lighten the mood as good as it can, but keep in mind Dye's namesake, and all the events that occurred fifteen years ago, and of course "him". Because they're all going to reveal themselves soon.

Well then, that takes care of all the explanations! If anyone has any further questions, just drop me a PM or a review, and I'll reply. :) Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and stay tuned for Chapter Two!

Happy reading!

Jadells


	3. Chapter Two: The Yearning Tree

**Chapter Two**

The Yearning Tree

As much as he was longing to get out of the village, Du Ai had to admit he would never get tired of this view. He sat up in a tree that stood on the very edge of a cliff a short ways outside of the village. This was Du Ai's favourite tree; a gorgeous pine tree, with it's trunk so close to the cliff's edge that some of its roots grew out of the cliff face. It's tortuous branches twisted together in odd, yet beautiful ways. Du Ai's perch was the thick long branch that stretched outwards, past the cliff's edge. It was lowest by the trunk, slightly inclining upward until the branch's tip, dangling precariously over the cliff's edge, was the highest part of the branch, not by a significant amount, but the fact it hung directly over the valley was what made it dangerous. Du Ai had once (well, maybe more than once) attempted to scale up the branch from the safety of his seat at the trunk, to the very tip of the branch. Once, he had been bold enough to go from his safe shimmying on his stomach up onto his feet, and attempted the climb one foot after another, like a gymnast on a balancing beam. But unlike a gymnast, Du Ai would have no cushion to land on if he lost balance. Depending on where he was on the branch, it was either the hard dirt, or much more terrifying, a sickeningly long drop into the valley miles and miles below. Needless to say, Du Ai never got too far on the branch for _that _to happen.

Back when he was thirteen, he remembered coming to the tree at sunset, blood boiling after an argument with his mother about sneaking out the night before to try and catch fireflies. He had strung several glass jars to his waist and borrowed a net from his father and went out into the night. However, from the sneaking into his parent's room to grab the net, to mucking about in the kitchen to find (or empty) glass jars, then clattering out the window with a belt full of jars tinking together, Shan Pu had awoken and watched from the window as he scampered out in the woods behind their hut, jingling like a wind chime. She didn't go after him, simply going back to bed, stifling her fury and letting it fester overnight so she could deal with him properly in the morning. The argument ended up with Du Ai storming out of the house and running through the village until he reached his precious tree. Grinding his teeth in anger, he tore off his shoes and lunged at the tree, climbing much clumsier than he would if he were calm, cutting his hands on the bark for his sloppiness. He sat on his branch, glaring out into the valley painted rich burnt auburn by the setting sun. He sat there for he was not sure how long, then his body shut down. His brain stopped thinking, his body now running on pure instinctual thought. He found his eyes drawn to the tip of the branch, something he could always see in his peripheral vision when he sat in his seat and looked up at the sky. He started to scooch further up the branch.

He looked down. Beneath him, he was already on the cusp; behind him was the hard dirt, what they ahead was mist covering the valley far, far below. Du Ai got a good grip on the branch then, slowly, got to his feet. He steadied himself, holding out his arms, waiting for his body to stop swaying as his bare feet found their purchase on the bark. When he was still, he looked out at the tip of the branch, and felt his left leg twitch, then slowly creep out in front of the right. Then his right foot moved, then his left again. Before he knew it, Du Ai had gotten further than he ever had before on the branch. His heart raced, but not from fear. The rest of his body was calm. He continued to stare intensely out at the tip of the branch, feeling the roughness of the bark on the soles of his feet, the slightest breeze tickling through his bangs.

"Du Ai?!"

The shriek broke Du Ai out of his trance, and he opened his eyes, not even knowing he'd closed them. In the next millisecond his body swayed dangerously on the branch. The same voice the shriek had come from made another fearful, shrill noise. With a short yelp, Du Ai toppled backward, his back slamming on the branch before he flopped over the side. Survival instincts kicking in, his arm lunged out and snatched the branch, quickly throwing up his other arm to support his weight. Even with both hands on the trunk, his hands were screaming from his chaffed palms and fingertips. Du Ai growled from the stinging pain and told himself not to look down and see if there was still ground under his feet; he was pretty sure he wouldn't like the answer. He shut his eyes tight. Then, he felt a weight collide against him, his hands broke their grip from the tree and he was falling. The weight was pressed all around him, but he still felt the wind blow past, then all at once he and the weight hit the ground. Du Ai finally opened his eyes, but he still couldn't see, although he knew right where he was. He could tell by the strong flowery smell. His mother was still crouched on the ground, holding Du Ai close to her body, one hand gripping his back, the other the back of his head. Du Ai could feel and hear her heart racing, her short breaths coming out in quick, ragged puffs. Du Ai wanted to break out of her grip, but couldn't move his body.

"What," she panted hoarsely, "were you _thinking_?"

Du Ai opened his mouth slightly, but no sound came forth. His mother's voice was harsh from anger and her rough breathing, and she stroked his hair with about as much gentleness as a mother bear, pulling and tugging at his hair, running her fingers through it like a razor blade comb. Du Ai didn't feel a thing however, and Shan Pu, seeing her son's paralyzed state, stood up slowly, carrying him like she did when he was a baby. Du Ai would have protested fiercely to this had he been in the right mind, and when he came to his senses later and recalled the events his body shuddered at the sensation, but in that moment he just stared at the tree growing smaller in the distance as his mother carried him home. His eyes pin-pointed the tip of his branch, standing out against the very last light of the day, getting farther and farther from him the further his mother walked.

Du Ai blinked.

Disoriented, he took a moment to look about. It was mid-day, and he was in his tree, Granny Ku Lohn's still-warm sweet potatoes sitting in his lap. Du Ai finally realized he'd gone into a very vivid daydream. Recalling that memory soured his mood, and he frowned. He stuffed his hand into the bag of potatoes and pulled one out and stuffed half of it into his mouth. It burned his tongue a bit, but he chewed anyway, uncaring. As he had expected the delicious taste of Granny's potatoes had his mouth salivating like crazy, and his mind became occupied by foodlust. He finished off the other half of his potato and stuck his hand in the bag for a second.

"Du Ai!"

Du Ai, in mid-bite, looked down from his perch to the ground below, using the hand not holding his bag to shade his eyes to get a better view, potato hanging now hands-free from his mouth. A group of four boys stood around the base of the tree, staring back up at Du Ai. The largest of the boys crossed his arms and smirked at Du Ai, as Du Ai popped his potato fully into his mouth.

"Any reason you're always hanging up in that tree like a baboon?" the boy bellowed.

"Well, it keeps me away from big ugly brutes like you," Du Ai replied, "so it has it's perks."

Du Ai saw the boy's face contort in rage. "You want to come down here and say that again?"

Du Ai took out his third potato and took a bite. "No really," he said, "but if you need me to repeat I'd be more than willing, since it must be awfully hard to hear anything with such tiny ears on that fat head of yours."

"Get DOWN here," the boy boomed, "and FIGHT ME!"

"Must our encounters always lead to violence, Buon Zu?" Du Ai sighed.

"I _said_," the boy, Buon Zu, said through gritted teeth, "_GET. DOWN_."

"Such a temper. I was only having a little fun." Du Ai said with feigned chagrin. "Well, if you insist."

Du Ai dropped from the tree, his bag of potatoes still in his hand. As he dropped, he drew out his red pole, and landed daintily on the ground. The boys watched him, glaring green-eyed with envy they failed to conceal. Du Ai placed his bag of potatoes by the tree trunk, taking his time as if there weren't four boys giving him deadly looks. He turned around with a sudden flourish and brandished his red pole, pointing it's tip directly at Buon Zu.

"Well, since you challenged me," Du Ai announced, "I'll let you make the first move."

With a cry, Buon Zu lunged towards Du Ai, the other three boys right behind him. Du Ai blinked at his attackers.

"Hey, now," he muttered, "who said I agreed to a four-on-one match, huh?"

Du Ai leapt into the air, catapulting over the gang of four. Their battle cries slowly died out after they realized Du Ai was no longer in front of them, but by the time they had figured that out, Du Ai had already landed behind them, spun around and cracked one of Buon Zu's goons in the back of the head with his staff. The boy toppled to the ground face-first, and the others had to jump aside as he fell, his body kicking up dus with his heavy landing on the ground. The boys stared at their fallen comerade for a second before looking up at their opponent. Du-Ai stood there casually as if he hadn't just knocked a boy completely out cold, twirling his pole around. Buon Zu's fists visibly clenched tighter, his shoulders vibrating with fury. With an angry yell, he ran at Du Ai with his arm pulled back, ready to swing. He stepped into his punch, swinging his large arm towards Du Ai's face. Or at least, the air that used to be occupied by Du Ai's face. Du Ai ducked under Buon Zu's meaty arm and somehow managed to slink through his large legs like he had no veterbrae.

"Quit moving around!" Buon Zu barked, swinging around and throwing out his other fist.

Du Ai jabbed his staff into the ground and pushed off with it into the air on its tip with the palm of his hand. He turned in the air, regaining his grip on his pole, then for a breif moment, a fraction of a second, the tip of his pole took purchase on the top of Buon Zu's head, Du Ai using this balance as leverage to front-flip over his head, cartwheeling in a tight ball until he hit the ground in a crouch. Buon Zu spun around ready with another punch, and Du Ai swung around, still crouched on the ground, and jerked his staff upward sharply, landing a blow under Buon Zu's chin, sending him backward. Still low to the ground, Du Ai danced around Buon Zu's reeling form, leapt up straight and landed a quick blow to the back on Buon Zu's neck. Buon Zu's whole body seized up, and then he fell to the ground in a great heap. Du Ai admired his work, whirling his staff around then slapping it on his shoulder.

"Well, that was a treat." he said to himself, moving his head side to side to crack his neck. He looked over his shoulder to see the last two boys gawking at him. Du Ai blinked several times, having forgotten they were there. He saw their eyes move from him, to his red pole, to Buon Zu. Du Ai looked innocently at Buon Zu's fallen form, to the boys, to his pole, back to Buon Zu, then he put two-and-two together. He looked back at the boys.

"I didn't kill him," Du Ai assured them, "I wouldn't be that sloppy."

The boys just continued their exchanges between him, the fallen boy, and the pole. Du Ai sighed.

"He'll wake up in about an hour or so," Du Ai explained. "You should drag him into some shade and make sure he has some water. He'll be a little disoriented for a bit, then he'll be back to his big blundering moronic self in no time. Oh, and do the same for him, too."-Du Ai pointed to the boy he'd knocked out earlier-"I got him in the head pretty good, though, so for him he better get a cold compress as well as that water. He'll have a pretty nasty bump."

Du Ai finally looked back at the boys, finished his instructions. They stared dumbly back at him.

"Hey!" he barked, making the boys leapt out of their skin. "Did you hear all o' that, or am I gonna have to repeat myself?"

"W-we got it," one of them stuttered, "shade, water...cold compress. Got it."

Du Ai nodded in approval. "Good," he walked past them to the tree trunk, slipping away his weapon as he walked, and grabbed his bag of potatoes. "Aw hell, now my potatoes are cold." he grumbled.

"Buon Zu came to find you to send you a message!" the second boy spoke up suddenly.

Du Ai looked up at them and raised an eyebrow. "He finally found out his biological mother is a warthog?"

"He came to tell you that he is going to face you in the tournament this year, and he is going to win." the boy said hotly, pretending to have not heard Du Ai's joke.

"Izzat so?" Du Ai murmured with disinterest, picking out another potato from the bag and taking a bite. "Listen, I've won the tournament five straight years in a row, and there ain't no way I'm losing to a buffoon with a pickled radish for a brain."

"Buon Zu's been in intense training since last year's tournament," defended the first boy. "He just underestimated you today; he didn't think you'd been doin' any training since he just sees you out gardening all of the time."

At this remark the other boy snickered, making the other look smug at his jab. Du Ai stiffened up a little, but he held back and kept his cool.

"Idiots. A true martial artist can make anything training. If you can't find the opportunity to better your skills with even the most fundamental chore, then you don't deserve to call yourself a martial artist." Du Ai retorted.

The boys were quiet, obviously searching for another comeback, but they were silent. Du Ai smiled, walking past the boys and down the small hill, heading back towards the village.

* * *

><p>Shan Pu stared out at the large field from the kitchen window of her hut. A kettle brewed hot water above the fireplace, and Shan Pu was grazing the sides of her empty tea cup with her fingertips as she looked out on the rich brown, freshly-tilled soil. If one were to look closer, they could see the field was not so perfect. Imbedded in a mound of dirt was a lone silver fork, a utensil uncommonly seen in a rural village in China; a utensil usually concealed within the long sleeves of a martial artist's robes. A martial artist who could conceal ten thousand of those forks and then some heavier, deadlier equipment as well within his clothing. Shan Pu, her deep red eyes like a hawk's, could plainly see the silver flicker in the afternoon sun amongst the fresh dark dirt.<p>

"Mu Tzu," Shan Pu murmured to herself. Why must he encourage him so?

"Good afternoon, great-granddaughter." Shan Pu turned around slowly to see her puny great-grandmother, balanced atop her wooden cane as always, standing in her doorway. "Preparing tea, are you? It appears I've come at a good time."

"Hello, great-grandmother. I'll get another cup." Shan Pu said, opening the small cupboard and selecting a tea cup. "The water will be ready shortly, please make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you, dear. Although I'm afraid this is no ordinary visit. I have something I wish to discuss with you." Ku Lohn said, her tone taking a slightly grim tone.

Shan Pu felt a nervous pinch in her chest at the sound in her elder's voice. She swallowed it down, concealing her anxiousness and calmly walked over to the hissing kettle, carefully taking it off the fire. The kettle's whine calmed, and Shan Pu walked back over to the cups, filling them with the steaming water. She counted her breaths as she prepared the tea, then fixed a small dish of pickled radish that she knew neither of them would touch, but did so simply to stall the inevitable. Finally she brought the small snack to the table, followed by the tea, then at last sat down. She looked up slowly at her great-grandmother, eyes expectant.

Ku Lohn took her time, as always. She in fact did sample a slice of the pickled radish, then washed it down with a long sip of tea, eyes closed. She lowered the cup, sighing appreciatively. She softly set down her cup, eyes still closed. Then, she opened her large eyes and looked straight into Shan Pu's.

"Du Ai came by for a visit earlier today," Ku Lohn began finally.

Shan Pu said nothing, waiting for Ku Lohn to continue.

Ku Lohn took another sip of her tea. "He mentioned the tournament, as I knew he would. However, he mentioned something rather peculiar pertaining to the tournament that I thought was in your best interest, as his mother, to hear."

Shan Pu's lips were a tight line. Ku Lohn paused, expecting her great-granddaughter to say something, but when she did not, she continued.

"According to Du Ai, Mu Tzu has promised him to teach him an ancient secret technique should he win the tournament this year. Which, you should know, will more than likely be the outcome."

Shan Pu nodded tightly. "Yes, Du Ai has won the tournament every year since he first entered five years ago." she muttered.

"I know how protective you are of the boy, and I'm sure this father-son agreement was made unbeknownst to you. Mu Tzu most likely intended to keep it from you. Now while I have never had any intention of squashing that child's enthusiasm and potential for the Art, I also know how strongly you have always been against it, and I can deduce why. I know you have your personal, deeply-imbedded reasons; reasons that while I may say are contrary to what you believed years ago, are nonetheless justifiable in their own right, considering the…circumstances."

Ku Lohn took another piece of radish, chewed, swallowed, then went on.

"Your my great-granddaughter, Shan Pu, my blood. I may not particularly agree with how you are choosing-or, at least, attempting-to raise your child, I still care for you and respect you enough to not keep secrets from you, especially when they are secrets that go against your wishes and, more importantly, endanger your child."

"Endanger?" Shan Pu echoed.

"Yes," Ku Lohn said, "I am afraid that Mu Tzu may be considering teaching Du Ai a powerful, dangerous technique. I know the child is talented, of that there is no doubt. However, the boy is young, and brazen. Mu Tzu has never taught him a technique from our people's ancient scrolls. None of them are to be taken lightly, you and I both know that. Du Ai tries to find as much time during the day that he can to train, but with the way you have him running about on errands, doing chores around the house, the boy can usually only find the free time to do a few slightly advanced katas, as well as the lessons he puts in with me, but those are only about anatomy and pressure points since that's all you'd allow of me to teach to him. It is incredible that he has come as far as he has with the seemingly minimal amount of proper training he's been given. Any slight window of time he gets to train is used to it's fullest extent. However, either way, that does not mean he is ready to have a ancient, powerful secret technique thrust upon him. I fear for his safety, simply put. So, as one mother to another, I know you share in my concern, great-granddaughter."

"I am glad you came to me, great-grandmother, and I appreciate your honesty," Shan Pu said. "I'll be having a word with Mu Tzu as soon as he returns from the market."

Ku Lohn nodded. "Very well. Whatever you wish to do with what I have told you is your prerogative. I simply wished to come by and tell you the truth before you found out in some other way, perhaps when it was already too late."

Shan Pu shuddered slightly.

Ku Lohn finished the last piece of the pickled radish, and the final sip of her tea. "Well, I best be off before Mu Tzu returns. Thank you for the tea." Ku Lohn took her perch atop her cane once again, and hopped over to the door of the hut. "Take care, Shan Pu."

Shan Pu watched her great-grandmother hop through the doorway and out of sight. She looked down at her full cup of tea, and frowned. She grabbed her cup and brought it to the sink, dumping the tea down the drain. She took the empty cup and radish dish and put them in the sink roughly, then grasped the edge of the counter and lowered her head.

She could never read Ku Lohn, and yet her great-grandmother could see through her like glass.

"I'm home!"

Shan Pu jumped, and turned around to see Mu Tzu enter the hut, with a basket of vegetables and a few loafs of bread.

"The market sure is busy at this time of day, but that's when the merchants are trying to sell and bargain the prices. Thankfully you married quite the swindler, my dearest Shan Pu." Mu Tzu said with a smug tone to his voice, pleased with himself for practically stealing such a haul.

Shan Pu did not smile. Mu Tzu, although unable to see his wife's expression from across the kitchen even with his glasses on, could tell from her dark aura the jig was up. Mu Tzu feigned ignorance and walked over to the counter where Shan Pu stood glowering at him, setting down the basket. From this distance, he could clearly see her stoic, dark expression in his peripheral vision, as well as the extra cup sitting in the sink.

_Looks like we've had company. _

"Great-grandmother came by to see me earlier." Shan Pu said lowly.

"How nice of her to drop by." Mu Tzu's voice cracked a little, as he took a large bowl from the cupboard.

"Mu Tzu."

"Shan Pu?"

"Why do you incessantly put my son's safety in jeopardy against my wishes?"

Mu Tzu was engrossed in the task of arranging the vegetables in the large bowl. "I'm not sure what you mean by that, Shan Pu."

"You know exactly what I mean," Shan Pu said sharply. "You deliberately disobeyed me, and you are putting my child's well-being on the line, because of your insufferable stubbornness."

"The more hands, the lighter the work. I can understand why you would be upset at me throwing sharp objects at him, but I was only trying to get the fieldwork out of the way faster. Du Ai would have had to slave away at that field all day, and burn precious daylight, and since you're uncomfortable with him training at night-or any time of the day, really-"

"That is not what this is about." Shan Pu intruded. "I am agitated that you helped him when I was_ trying _to teach him a lesson in responsibility, but that was overshadowed by something else."

"Something else?" Mu Tzu repeated, finally looking at Shan Pu in confusion.

"Something that great-grandmother told me about; something I am sure you were intending to keep from me, much like this morning's foolishness."

"What would that be?"

"That you were planning to teach Du Ai a dangerous secret technique."

Mu Tzu blinked. "Oh," he murmured. "That…"

"Yes, _that_." Shan Pu snapped. She took a deep breath, collecting herself. She continued in a calmer, but still dark tone. "Great-grandmother shared her concern with me that Du Ai is not ready. He's overly-confident, brazen, and-"

"Traits he certainly didn't get from _me_." Mu Tzu quipped. Seeing the look on Shan Pu's face, he instantly regretted it.

"How _dare_ you speak to me that way…" Shan Pu hissed.

"Shan Pu, I-"

"I am only concerned for the welfare of my child!"

"But you're not!" Mu Tzu blurted.

"_What_ did you say?"

"You're not concerned for his safety because you know as well as I do there's no reason for you to be! Du Ai is strong, talented, and over-flowing with fantastic potential! You're too consumed in your demons to give a damn about what makes that boy happy because you're terrified to see that when he's training, he never looks more like Ra-"

Mu Tzu was cut off as Shan Pu abruptly and sharply slapped him across the face.

"Don't you_ dare_ say his name…" Shan Pu whispered, her eyes filling with tears. A pained sob broke from her throat before Shan Pu could clamp her hand over her mouth, her tears breaking free and rolling down her cheeks. She pushed past Mu Tzu and rushed out of the kitchen, escaping into the bedroom.

Mu Tzu slowly came out of his daze, standing still for a while as he listened to his wife's anguished sounds. He couldn't bear to hear her in such pain, but knew there was no comfort he could offer to her. He slowly walked out of the house, but Shan Pu's sobbing only seemed to get louder in his head the farther he walked.

* * *

><p><strong>Authour's Notes:<br>**

At last, the second part of Chapter Two. I know it was a long wait for a short scene, but it was an important scene that I wanted to tackle in this chapter so that next chapter can jump right into the rest of the good stuff. This chapter was more about developing character a little further before getting into the meat and potatoes of the actual plot, anyhow. Mainly, Du Ai's ache for freedom, with a little bit of Shan Pu's inner turmoil with the demons from her past sprinkled on top for good measure.

Stay tuned for Chapter Three, folks!

Reviews keep my writing spirit full of spunk, so let me know what you think of the story so far!

Your dearest writing servant,

Jadells

* * *

><p>PS: Happy holidays, everyone!<p> 


	4. Chapter Four: Needle Sting

**Chapter Three**

Needle Sting

It was not the first quiet dinner this family had sat through, but it was certainly the most awkward.

Du Ai mostly kept his gaze on his meal, but dared to occasionally dart his eyes up and jump to the blank faces of his parents. Their jaws moved slightly and slowly, their hands moved to grab another morsel of food, lips parting, then closing to chew again. If Du Ai focused enough he could swore he heard his father's teeth click together as he broke down each bite. Mu Tzu's eyes flickered over in Du Ai's direction, and they finally made eye contact for the first time that evening. Du Ai managed a twisted smile that felt weird to his lips. He saw the corner of his father's mouth tweak up slightly, then go back to it's neutral position just as quickly.

"Uh_—_ Du Ai's voice croaked. He cleared it roughly, then continued. "You, um…d'you remember that brute Buon Zu, Dad?"

Mu Tzu did nothing for a moment, then nodded, still chewing. Du Ai waited as Mu Tzu finished his bite. "Yes," he replied quietly. "has he been giving you more trouble?"

"Nah, not really." Du Ai said, a little more confidence in his voice, glad his father had actually spoken to him. "He and his goons all ganged up on me earlier today. Buon Zu apparently wanted to show me the "fruits of his training" before the tournament."

"I see," said Mu Tzu. "You didn't hurt him, did you, boy?"

Du Ai stiffened a little. Mu Tzu never called him "boy" unless he was scolding him, and that was very rare.

"N-no…" Du Ai muttered, picking at his food. "I mean, I knocked him out, but_—"_

"And what of his friends, then? His "goons", as you called them?"

"I…um…there was three of them. I knocked out one of 'em, and then Buon Zu. I left the other two alone. Told them to give the other two some water and shade. I just scared 'em was all."

"Having strength doesn't mean you pick on those who are weaker than you, boy." Mu Tzu said firmly. "A true martial artist uses his power to protect those who are weak, not step all over them. We are all human, Du Ai. Having a hard fist doesn't make you a god. Martial arts is a discipline to be respected and treated with modesty, not a toy to swing around and boast about. I raised you better than that, boy."

Du Ai couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked at his mother, who had stopped eating. She stared down at her food, which was barely touched as it was. Mu Tzu's words were not his own. It had his mother's influence smeared all over it. Du Ai was well aware that his father always bent over backward for his mother, but the only person he'd go against her wishes for, was him. He'd scolded him in front of her before, but it was always followed by a quick wink or a pat on the back when his mother had her back turned. Du Ai could tell that there wouldn't be any of that after this supper.

"Do you understand what I'm telling you, Du Ai?"

Du Ai stared at his half-finished meal. "Yes…sir."

Mu Tzu stared at Du Ai for a moment longer, then went back to his food. Shan Pu sipped her tea slowly. Du Ai listened to his mother sigh softly as she lowered the cup from her lips. A minute went by, then two.

"Your supper is getting cold." Shan Pu said quietly.

Du Ai said nothing. Shan Pu finally looked up at her son, who still stared down at his unfinished supper.

"Du Ai_—"_

Suddenly Du Ai got out of his seat. "Lost my appetite." he muttered, heading for the door.

Shan Pu stood up and turned around to the doorway. "If you do not sit back down and finish your food," she said tightly. "then I forbid you to enter the tournament tomorrow."

This stopped Du Ai cold. He whirled around, eyes wide. He looked right at his father.

"Dad_—_!"

"Sit down, boy." Mu Tzu's voice was not a yell, but was loud enough to drown out Du Ai's plea. "You disrespected your mother the other night by storming out without finishing your meal, and she's got every right to punish you for doing it a second time in a row. Now sit back down."

Du Ai glowered at his parents, then walked slowly back to his seat. Shan Pu's body turned as she watched him make his way back to the opposite end of the table. He pulled out his chair, and sat roughly back down in his seat, his hard gaze never leaving his father. Shan Pu still stood, watching Du Ai.

"Sit down, darling." Mu Tzu murmured, his voice much softer now.

Shan Pu slowly lowered herself back into her seat, her eyes on Du Ai the whole time.

The family went back to their silent supper.

* * *

><p><em>"I want a piercing."<em>

_Shan Pu halted in her chore of pinning up the laundry to the clothesline, looking down at her son. He looked up at her with large, light maroon eyes that all the other boys in the village his age chose to call pink. His mouth was set in a tight, determined frown. _

_"A piercing?" Shan Pu echoed, lowering the bed sheet she held in her hands. _

_"In my ear," Du Ai explained further. "so can I get one?"_

_Shan Pu stared at her son, then went back to folding the sheet. Du Ai watched his mother, waiting_.

_"Don't be foolish, Du Ai." she muttered, hanging up the sheet on the line. "You can't get a piercing."_

_"Why not?" Du Ai pouted, genuinely confused._

_"You're too young." _

_"You said that when I was six."_

_"Four years isn't a long time."_

_"That's 1,460 days!"_

_"Math isn't going to change my mind, Du Ai."_

_Du Ai slumped. Shan Pu plucked the last dry piece of clothing off the line, folded it, and put it in the full basket. _

_"Ku Riem got her ears pierced when she was seven." Du Ai argued. "If she can get a piercing, why can't I?"_

_"Because," Shan Pu said, lifting up the basket. "only girls should get piercings."_

_Shan Pu walked past Du Ai and into the house, Du Ai watching her go, still frowning. He stood still as she rounded around the house and out of sight. Du Ai felt a breeze go through his bangs, and a corner of the sheet hit his shoulder slightly. He looked over at the sheets as they danced in the gentle wind and caught the sunlight in luring ways with their rhythmic, sleepy movements. Du Ai went to the house and picked up the broom leaned up against the wall. He went back over to the sheets and, twirling about the broom, danced through the sheets, brushing them away with the handle of the broom. It turned into a game. When the air died down, and the sheets came toward him, he'd brush them away before they could touch him, all the while keeping up his dance-like kata. He got lost in the flapping of the sheets, bathed in sunlight. His body began to feel just as weightless. He was a piece of cloth, hanging on a line, fluttering with the gentlest kiss of air. _

_"Du Ai!"_

_He opened his eyes. _

_He was a boy, 93 pounds of bone and flesh. The breeze played with the thin wisps of black hair on his forehead, but did not carry him away. He looked at his mother, 26-years-old and beautiful, with lavender hair, and eyes he wished she'd never cursed him with. _

_"I certainly hope you're not getting dirt all over those clean sheets with that filthy broom."_

_Du Ai lowered the broom. "No…" he mumbled. _

_"Well, come inside before you actually do make a mess of the laundry, and put the broom back where you found it."_

_Du Ai did so, and walked slowly back into the house. His mother was cleaning some dishes when he entered. He went over to the table and plopped down in his seat, looking glum and bored. _

_"I'm going to the market to grab some things for tonight's supper." Shan Pu said, drying the last cup in the sink and wiping off her hands on her apron._

_Du Ai perked up. "Can I come?"_

_"No, you always want to stop at each and every merchant. I'm only grabbing what I need, then coming back. I'm not going there to browse. I want you to put away what's in the basket I just brought in, and these dishes I've dried, as well." Shan Pu explained. "I want it done for when I get back, not whenever you feel like getting it done. Understand?"_

_Du Ai nodded slowly. _

_"I'll be back soon." His mother said, taking off her apron. _

_She went to the door, slid her feet into her slippers, and was gone. Du Ai sat at the table for a while longer, then got down and walked over to the basket of sheets and clothes. Uncaring of his mother's folding, he picked up the basket and turned it upside down, dumping everything out onto the floor. He sorted through the pile, quickly sorting out everyone's clothes. He folded it all back the way any ten year old boy would: terribly. He did the same to the sheets, grabbing them in one go and shoving them in the small closet nearby. _

_Then he took his parent's clothes and brought them into their bedroom, then his own. He came back into the kitchen, dragged his stepping stool over to the counter, and put away the bowls, cups, plates and cutlery. He was about to step down from his stool when his eyes caught sight of a small wooden box. He recognized it from the many times his mother had brought it down from it's perch on top of the cupboard to mend his torn-up shirts and pants. _

_Du Ai looked around, even though nobody was home. His father had left early that morning to go catch fish for that night's supper, and his mother would not be back for at least a half hour. He stepped up onto the counter from the stool, grabbed the box, then carefully made his way back down while holding the box above his head. He was about to head out the door, but stopped himself, remembering something. He put the box on the counter and hurried into his parent's room, and grabbed his mother's handheld mirror. He went back into the kitchen, grabbed the box, then bolted outside, around to the back of the house. _

_His heart was beating quickly. He looked around. Their backyard was nothing but a large field full of herbs and growing vegetables, a clothesline, and a rope swing that dangled from a large tree near the forest line. Du Ai went over to the empty basket over by the clothesline, and turned it over, creating a seat for himself. He sat down and put down the mirror on his lap, then the box. He looked around again. Nobody. _

_He opened the box. His mother had everything arranged neatly in the box, so it was easy for him to find what he was looking for. He pulled out the little container that held the thin, silver sewing needles. There were very small and thin ones, and several slightly thicker, longer ones. He selected two of the latter, sticking them in his mouth as he set the box on the grass. Then he took the mirror, held it up to his face and with his free hand, he took one of the needles out of his mouth, holding it up to his ear. He paused, he bit his lip, he squinted. It was awkward, trying to keep the mirror level and the small needle straight. He took a deep breath, and brought the tip of the needle to his earlobe._

_"What in the world are you_—?_"_

_Du Ai's skin jolted. His hand jerked, and he felt a hot, painful sting._

_"_AUGH!_" Du Ai yelped, dropping the mirror and bringing both hands to the side of his head, his eyes shut tight in pain._

_"Du Ai!? What-?" It was his father's voice. "What happened? Let me see…"_

_Mu Tzu pulled Du Ai's hands away, revealing his right ear. The lobe was bleeding, the small needle having gone straight through in one sharp, messy stab. Du Ai was biting down on his lip, trying very hard not to cry. Mu Tzu sighed softly. _

_"Wait here, son." Mu Tzu said gently, patting Du Ai's shoulder. He gathered up his things, as well as the mirror and box, and when he walked past Du Ai could smell water and fish. Du Ai sat waiting on the up-turned laundry basket, quickly wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He wanted desperately to look at his ear. He brought up his hand to touch it, and found his fingertips had blood on them. He shivered, and stuffed both his hands under his legs. His father finally returned with a first-aid kit, and crouched down in front of him. _

_"Where's your mother?" Mu Tzu asked in a low voice. _

_"At the market." Du Ai sniffed. _

_Mu Tzu nodded, then smiled. "Well, we better get you cleaned up. She'd have my head if she found you all bloody."_

_Du Ai stared at his father with wide, horrified eyes. Mu Tzu pat his knee, then opened the kit. He reached into his sleeve, looking at Du Ai as he did so. With a flourish, he brought out a clean, white handkerchief. A small, wet giggle burst out of Du Ai. He always loved to see his father use his Hidden Weapon technique, even though most of the things he pulled from his sleeves weren't exactly "weapons". His father never explained how it was done, so it always seemed like magic. _

_"Turn that ear toward me, now." Mu Tzu said. "Stay still. I need to get the needle out." _

_Du Ai gulped. He turned his bloody ear towards Mu Tzu, shutting his eyes tightly._

_"Don't tense up so much. It just makes it hurt more." Mu Tzu told him. _

_Du Ai slowly stopped scrunching up his face. His eyelids softened, but his eyebrows stayed in a worried arch. Mu Tzu put his hand on Du Ai's shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. _

_"Do you want me to count to three, or just take it out?"_

_Du Ai shook his head. "Just do it."_

_"Alright. You'll feel a sting when I take the needle out, then I'm going to put the cloth on the ear quickly after that to stop the bleeding and disinfect where the needle went through. The alcohol will sting, too, and be pretty damn cold. It passes. Then the worst part is over."_

_Du Ai nodded, eyes still closed. Mu Tzu brought his hand up to the needle, and gently pinched the end between his fingers. _

_"Ready? Don't move your head now, just say yes or no."_

_"Yes."_

_Mu Tzu counted in his head, then pulled out the needle as quick but gentle as he could. Du Ai cringed, but made no sound. Mu Tzu grabbed the cloth and pressed it to Du Ai's ear. Du Ai jumped. Mu Tzu pressed the cloth firmly to the damaged lobe, waiting for a few minutes. He took the cloth away, checking the damage. The cloth had a small red patch, but the ear was still bleeding. Mu Tzu pressed the cloth back on the ear._

_"How do you feel?" Mu Tzu asked._

_"My ear feels really hot, but it doesn't really hurt anymore."_

_"That's just all the blood that rushed to the ear when you pierced it. Now, tell me…why did you try and do this by yourself?"_

_Du Ai shuffled, pulling his hands out from under his legs finally. He looked embarrassed. "I asked Mom again if I could get my ears pierced, and she said no. Said I was still too young, and that only girls should get piercings." He rolled his eyes. "She's so unfair."_

_"Your mother loves to have things go her way. It's how she always has been. She never really understood that you can't put that kind of ideology onto your child, that they'll become whoever they want to. I suppose all parents do suppress their children, to an extent, but_—"__

_"_You_ don't."_

_"Well, your mother does enough of it for the both of us." Mu Tzu joked. "Go easy on her, though. You can't change her just as much as she can't change you. You only get one mother, and she's been very good to you."_

_Du Ai scoffed. "All she ever does is boss me around. She never lets me have any fun. She never smiles at me. I don't think she's ever smiled."_

_Mu Tzu rummaged through the first-aid kit. "Your mother…went through a lot of hardships when she was younger. She was raised under much harder disciplines and principles than you, and some things happened to her in her teenaged years that, well…if she ever wanted to discuss with you someday, she would. I won't do that for her. It's her story to tell."_

_Du Ai had never heard this before, and was suddenly sparked with curiosity. He would never be stupid enough to ask his mother about it, though. His father put a cotton ball on his ear, and a piece of gauze, sticking it all in place with medical tape. _

_"There, all done." Mu Tzu announced. He packed up the kit and stood up. _

_"Thanks, Dad." Du Ai said, getting off the laundry basket. _

_"So," Mu Tzu said. "what am I going to say to your mother about all of this?"_

_Du Ai looked up at his father, eyes wide with fear and betrayal. "Y-you're gonna tell her!?"_

_"Well, it will be a little difficult to hide what happened with that bandage on your ear." Mu Tzu replied, shrugging passively._

_"But, Dad_—!"__

_"Unless," Mu Tzu raised a hand, cutting his son off before he could panic. "you're a good liar."_

_Du Ai stared._

_His father winked at him._

* * *

><p>Du Ai woke up, five years later. He sat up, rubbing the sleep off his face, recalling his dream. Although, it had been more of a vivid recollection of a childhood memory than a dream. Du Ai got up and walked over to his small, short dresser and pulled out some fresh clothes. He dressed, then, looking up at the square, frameless mirror adjourned to the wall above the dresser, addressed his unruly black hair. He pondered for a moment if he should braid it, but thought better of it. He'd done it only once, about a year ago.<p>

He'd walked out into the kitchen and his mother looked up and screamed, literally _screamed_. Not like she'd seen a spider. More like she'd seen a ghost.

"What in the hell're you screamin' about?" he'd blurted, pressed up against the wall with a hand to his pounding heart. The scene would have been comical if his mother hadn't looked so horrified.

"T-take your hair…out of that braid…_right now_!" his mother's voice had been nothing short of a shriek.

Du Ai had never seen his mother like that in his life. She'd never raised her voice to him like that before, or since, that day. Needless to say he'd never worn his hair that way since, although he didn't quite understand why. He supposed it wasn't too big a loss on his end, though. He sort of felt like a girl when he wore a pigtail.

Du Ai pulled himself out of his daydream and let his hair loose from it's usual low ponytail. He brushed it, and put it back in the same style, only looking much more neat. Then, he took his black spiral plugs and stuck them through the slightly stretched holes in both of his ears. Next, a spherical black stud, in his right ear, where he'd made the hole with his mother's sewing needle. He'd been aiming for lower on his lobe, where his plugs were now, when he'd attempted to pierce himself five years ago. When Mu Tzu had made him jump and stab his earlobe with the needle, he'd missed his mark.

The hole had closed over after it was bandaged up and healed, but some time later Mu Tzu took Du Ai into town with him to get the ear pierced by a professional. The hole had healed by that point but it was still visible where the needle had stabbed the lobe. Du Ai asked for the piercing to go in the exact same spot, despite it being a little off centre. That's what he liked about it.

Besides, his stretched ears were what caught people's attention. He wanted to stretch them more, they were only at a 10 gauge now. His mother would pitch a fit if he went much bigger, though. Then again, she pitched a fit about everything he did, so what the hell did he care? His piercings were his main source of oppression against his mother. They were his one form of expression that she could never take from him, and every time he looked at his crooked little stud it always made him smile.

Du Ai grabbed his red staff on the way out of the bedroom. The house was silent. He was the first one up. It was still rather dark outside; it was probably pretty early in the morning. The tournament wouldn't be set up until later in the afternoon that day. Du Ai smirked to himself, heading out the front door.

Looks like he had plenty of time to warm up.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Remember me saying that last chapter was my last character-developing chapter before I got to the rest of the story? I lied. Turns out I needed just one more, super-short chapter to slap out a little more of the wholesome family goodness that is Du Ai's home life. I've had that ear piercing mishap flashback in my head forever. I even drew up a bit of a comic for it ages ago, which is where the idea for the scene actually came from. There's your _Decode_ factoid of the day, folks. I really ought to get around to posting all that concept art I have on to my deviantart, now that I think about it.

Anyways, I was just itching to get that scene down in written form, as well as expand even further on Du Ai's suppression caused by Shan Pu, his rebellious tendencies, and more on his bond with Mu Tzu. All those goodies. I'm sorry this chapter is kind of on the short side, for my standards, but hopefully it was a good chapter regardless and I'm not boring you nice folks to tears with all this character building...stuff.

Next chapter: The fated tournament! Will Du Ai win, and finally be told about the secret of "him"?

Of course he will. Wouldn't have a story otherwise, now would we?

Thanks for reading, folks! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter/the story thus far by leaving a review!

Stay tuned!

Jadells


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